


Head in the Clouds

by Vialana



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Character Study, Klance Week 2016, M/M, Pre-Series, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-05
Updated: 2016-08-05
Packaged: 2018-07-29 12:08:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7684003
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vialana/pseuds/Vialana
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Keith was amazing at flying; he was also afraid of falling.</p>
<p>For Klance Week 2016 on Tumblr<br/>Day 2 Prompt: Love/Hate</p>
            </blockquote>





	Head in the Clouds

**Author's Note:**

> Set pre-series in Galaxy Garrison.

The first time Lance saw Keith fly, it was only a simulation but he was still awestruck. That anyone, let alone someone Lance’s age, could move so effortlessly and (yeah, Lance could admit it) beautifully in space was amazing to him. To be able to work alongside this guy, maybe even befriend him, was something Lance started to look forward to while he was watching the simulation projections swoop and swerve. It was clear that Keith was innately talented and Lance couldn’t help but be impressed by him.

When Keith exited the simulator, the instructor clapped him on the back and congratulated him on his scores while many of the class watching surrounded him to offer their own praise. Lance didn’t join them, his own name was called next for his own test, but he met Keith’s eyes as he passed and offered a smile.

To say that Lance’s own simulation was a catastrophe wasn’t exactly exaggerating.

Instead of praise, he was met outside the simulator with stern warnings from the instructor and snickering from his classmates. Lance shrugged it off. He knew what went wrong. He’d do better next time. That was why he was here, right? To learn?

Once he was finished with the lecture and the next person was called up, Lance made his way to the back of the room to where the rest of the pilots who’d finished their simulation runs were gathered. He spotted an open patch of wall next to Keith and took his chance, sliding in next to the other boy, ignoring Keith’s frown and crossed arms to hold out his own hand in introduction.

“Keith, right? I’m Lance.”

Keith stared at his hand as though he didn’t know what to do with it. Maybe he was one of those people who didn’t shake hands, or touch other people if given the choice.

Lance smiled and let his hand fall, not at all daunted by this first potential misstep. “You were really amazing in there, dude. I just have to say that up front, like, wow. Kind of intimidating to follow.” Lance laughed, jostling Keith with his elbow to get a reaction.

Keith just stared at where their arms had touched then looked back up at Lance before nodding and saying, “Excuse me,” in a flat toneless voice and pushing away from the wall to walk out of the classroom.

Lance stood there dumbfounded, pretending not to hear the snickering from a few classmates who’d witnessed the disastrous interaction, trying to think of what he could have possibly said to garner that sort of rude dismissal. Thinking back on his words and actions nothing stood out as mean or pushy. Hell, he’d complimented the guy. What was with that sort of reaction?

“What a prick,” Lance muttered, leaning back against the wall and hunching in on himself. He watched the rest of the simulations in silence, resolving not to think about that jerk of a pilot ever again.

  


***

  


The second time Keith saw Lance fly in a simulator, he pulled off the same manoeuvre that caused him to crash in the previous simulation flawlessly. And no one noticed. Not even a minute later, the simulation ended in catastrophic failure. There’d been some kind of atmospheric shift Lance hadn’t reacted to properly and the sim ended. He wasn’t the only member of the class who’d failed to compensate for the shift, but he was the only one who was pulled in front of the class afterwards.

Keith caught Lance’s eye just as the instructor was starting his spittle-flinging lecture and looked away immediately, heart pounding.

He couldn’t watch that.

It was such a simple error. Hardly anyone was reacting to the problem on time. The few who managed still damaged their ships and didn’t finish the run. But no one else was being yelled at, just Lance, who seemed utterly unconcerned about the fact that he didn’t really deserve it.

Keith hated that, being subject to someone else’s whims and subjective view on what good piloting really was. If it weren’t for Shiro’s good word and the fact that he actually would be able to fly (in space!) after this training, he would have been out of there in the first week. Galaxy Garrison felt like a prison and the instructors their guards.

He hated that no one noticed the improvement Lance had made in just a week. He hated that they were all forced to watch each other’s mistakes. He hated that some of the class enjoyed picking apart other people just to make themselves feel good.

He hated that he was top of the class and somehow immune from criticism. He hated that even the assholes who jumped on the bandwagon to viciously destroy their classmates looked at him with stars in their eyes.

He hated the idea that one day he might make a tiny mistake and tumble from this ridiculous pedestal when their instructor kicked it over to spit on him while he was down.

Keith missed his speeder. It was nothing like flying a fighter craft, but he didn’t have to worry about proving himself. It was just flying – wind in his hair, motor thrumming beneath him, endless horizon to explore. No curfew, no uniform, no rules, no way to fail. No one to disappoint.

He looked up when his name was called and made his way towards the simulator.

Lance’s shoulder brushed his when they passed, though neither looked at the other after the touch. Keith wanted to turn and say that he saw what Lance had done before the crash – that he didn’t deserve the lecture or the whispers, that he was braver than Keith could ever be standing there like that and taking it – but Lance was long behind him by the time the impulse became almost unbearable.

Keith climbed into the simulator.

He was the only one in the class to finish the simulation run.

A round of applause greeted him as he climbed out and their instructor clapped him on the back. Keith straightened up and pulled away to avoid the touch, the knots in his stomach worse than when he climbed in.

None of them had noticed.

Keith couldn’t stop thinking about it. He’d fumbled and flinched his way through the entire course, doubting every choice and almost crashing three times. His flight path was shaky and uncertain. He’d nearly burned out the engine compensating for the atmospheric shift that killed half the class. It had been some of the worst flying he’d ever done at the Garrison and not a single person watching him saw or cared.

How could they put so much trust in him when he had so little in himself? Sure, he’d finished, but even before they’d crashed or damaged their ships the rest of his classmates had outflown him by miles, zooming confidently through the first leg of the flight with barely a glitch or trembling hand between them all. He’d forgotten to fasten his harness properly! How could they compare their own achievements to his and find themselves lacking just because of one error, never mind the size of it? Most people didn’t know how to fly before being accepted to the garrison. That was the point of training, to learn how to compensate for mistakes and how to do better.

He saw Lance at the back of the room, scowling at the display. Lance caught his stare and bowed, mockingly, before leaving the room.

Keith didn’t regret much; he believed there was little point in regret. But he had wondered how this week might have been different had he responded better to Lance after last week’s simulation. He just hadn’t known what to say, how to face Lance after their instructor tore him down in front of everyone. Keith had never responded to sincere compliments well and, unlike the rest of the class, Lance hadn’t immediately asked for Keith’s help with his own skills after introducing himself. In fact, he’d laughed at his own failure.

And Keith couldn’t understand that; he couldn’t understand how Lance could smile and accept that other people thought him worthless and keep trying anyway. Their instructor was wrong. Keith would have punched him in the face already like he’d already attempted with the hand-to-hand combat instructor if flight class didn’t fill him with such dread.

Keith couldn’t understand Lance, or his cheerfulness, so he put all his thoughts about the other pilot away. Hopefully, soon, he’d be able to do the same with the gut-clenching fear of failure and the hatred he felt building for the Garrison.

Keith wanted to fly; he wanted freedom.

He’d do anything for both.

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on Tumblr under [ladyvialana](https://ladyvialana.tumblr.com/)


End file.
